Rembrandt's Eye

May 31, 2010 10:59 AM

The Dutch Master, Rembrandt, is so revered in art circles that his paintings sell for millions of dollars. But his influence also can be seen every day on television screens. All of the camera operators I've worked with over the years are very familiar with "Rembrandt Lighting", a technique that uses key and fill lights to emphasize one side of a subjects face on the screen. The idea, traced back to Rembrandt, is that this lighting allows viewers to focus better on a subject and listen better to what they have to say. Apparently, it puts people at ease.

But if it works, why? And how? What did Rembrandt discover 350 plus years ago that so attracts attention to his paintings? A UBC researcher decided to try figure out the science behind the art. Art Science